A Never Ending Friendship
by CoolCuteGirl-Ayaka-Hikari
Summary: Ayaka Hikari,Shindou and Kirino's childhood friend,comes back to Japan after studying in France.She recieved another offer to study abroad but decides not to accept it in order not leave her friends.But will an incident change her mind? I don't own IE GO.
1. Chapter 1: The Call

**Chapter 1: The call**

**Yeah! I'm on a writing mood! I've started another story 'cause ideas kept coming to my mind! But I'll still continue to update my story Adventures in Gardenia: An IE GO Fantasy. Please enjoy!**

It was a bright sunny day at Raimon. Classes had ended so the Matsukaze Tenma and Nishizono Shinsuke rushed to the soccer club, only to find it empty. They were the first people to arrive than the rest of the team. The next person to come in was Sorano Aoi. She is one of the managers of the team along with Seto Midori and Yamana Akane.

"Hi guys! You've arrived early!" Aoi exclaimed.

"Of course, there's no such thing as an early arrival when it comes to soccer practice!" Tenma replied and let out a huge smile.

"He's right!" Shinsuke agreed.

As they were about to start a conversation, they heard the door opened. Hikaru, Kariya, Tsurugi and almost everyone on the team entered.

"Well, well, looks like you've arrived earlier than I thought." Kurama snorted out as he placed his bag on one of the seats.

Coach Kidou came in with Haruna-sensei. Practice was about to start so the team changed into their uniform and went to the field.

**[After 30 minutes of practice]**

"Soyokaze Step!" Tenma called out his hissatsu to get past Nishiki. He was successful and passed the ball to Kurama.

Kurama called his hissatsu Side Winder but Sangoku block it with Fence of Gaia. The ball goes to Aoyama and moves forward.

The practice was ongoing while Coach Kidou analyzes every member. Haruna was checking something on her laptop while Akane take pictures. Aoi and Midori are cheering for them especially for Tenma.

"Go Tenma!" Midori cheered as the ball was stolen from Aoyama and passed to Tenma.

Tenma called out his Keishin "Majin Pegasus!" He cried out. He then kicked the ball so powerful that Shinsuke didn't have the time to react and went in the goal.

"You're so awesome Tenma!" Shinsuke exclaimed.

"Thanks! But you still have to practice harder so you could call out your Keishin faster!" Tenma commented.

Haruna then stood up from her seat and said, "Minna, It's time for a break!" Everyone sat on the ground in exhaustion.

"I'm so tired!" Hikaru panted. Then he went to bench to drink some water. After he had his refreshing drink, he heard something ringing coming from Shindou's bag.

"Shindou-san, something's ringing from your bag. You'd better answer it." He immediately called Shindou who was still talking with Kirino.

" Yeah, Of course." He replied as went to his bag to find his cellphone. He took a look at the number and realized it was….

"Ayaka? " He said it out loud that Kirino heard it and went to him. Then Shindou answered the call.

"Hello…. Yes it's me, Shindou….. What? When? Tomorrow? Well that's good news! We'll be waiting for you here at Raimon…. Okay, see ya!" The call ended.

"So, what did she said?" Kirino asked.

"She said that she's coming back to Raimon! Tomorrow!" Shindou happily said. Which shocked the whole team like…..

"WHAAAAAAAAAT?"

"She's finished her studies abroad and decides to go back here!" Shindou explained the whole conversation.

"That's great! She can show us again her amazing hissatsus!" Hamano said!

"Yeah! Maybe she has a new one too!" Hayami added.

The first years, were feeling a little 'out of place' since they don't know who's Ayaka so Tenma interrupted politely.

"Uhh… Captain, who's Ayaka?"

"She was me and Shindou's childhood friend. She went to the same school with us and was also a member of the soccer club. But she received an offer to study abroad so she had to move to France. She's a very popular girl you knw?" Kirino explained to him.

"She is very talented. She plays the violin, a black belter in taekwondo and a forward and midfielder of the team. She was also the vice president of the student council." Shindou added.

"She actually won as president but she gave the position to the person who got the second highest vote because she wants to give chance to others. Then she became the vice." Akane stated.

" She must be really awesome! I am excited to see her!" Tenma said.

"That's enough everyone! Back to practice!" Coach Kidou reminded them that break time's over. They went back to the field and started practice.

**In an airport in France**

_Passengers of Flight 39 heading to Japan, please board the plane. The plane will leave after 30 minutes. Please enjoy your flight!_

The announcement of Flight 39 has been made. A girl with long, black hair and bangs; light blue eyes and fair skin wearing a gray, knee level dress with a black belt on her waist, black boots and a black barret stood up fom her seat and heads to the departure area.

"Yes! I'll finally meet them again! I can't want to go back!" She rushed to her plane and after 30 minutes, it took off.


	2. Chapter 2: She has Returned!

**I'm SOOOOOOOO SORRY! I got a little-I mean VERYYYY BUSYYYY! Tests, homeworks, exams, projects, performance tasks! But thanks to FREE TIME in all subjects this week, cause exams are finally over, i was able to finish it. Again, I'm so SORRY! Please enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

RING! RING! RINGGGGGGGGG!

The sound of the alarm clock woke up the sleepy Shindou. He sat up on his bed and turned the alarm off. He yawned, rubbed his eyes and look at the time. It was already 7:00 am! He has to be at school before 7:45 for the morning practice. He prepared his things, took a shower and put on his uniform. He went downstairs and ate his breakfast.

After the delicious meal, he bid his parents goodbye. He was leaving the house when he saw Kirino waiting for him. He greeted him and walked with him to school.

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><p><strong>At morning Practice…<strong>

The team had begun stretching and Coach Kidou was reading something from his clipboard. Then Haruna-sensei clapped her hands and said "Let's begin practice."

The team split into team A and B and had a practice match. They showed great cooperation and awesome hissatsus. As of now, both teams are tied with the score of 0-0 due to their strong defense.

"Zeroyon!" Hayami shouted as he used his hissatsu to get past Aoyama. He then passed it to Hamano who passed it to Tsurugi. He kicked the ball towards the goal but was stopped by Kariya's Hunter's net. And the match continues.

After some time, the score still hasn't changed. "That's enough for this morning. Classes are about to start. Go back to the clubroom." Coach Kidou finally called out. The team obeyed and went back to their clubroom.

"Hmm… I wonder where Ayaka is right now?" Shindou asked Kirino as he buttoned his uniform.

"Who knows? The only thing we know is that she's coming back today." Kirino replied.

"Then maybe she's already here in school?"

"We'll see…"

They have finished changing and the school bell rang on time. Everyone packed their things and headed to class.

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><p><strong>At the Principal's office….<strong>

"Ayaka Hikari! It's great to see you back here in Raimon!" The Principal exclaimed.

"Thank you! Well, since my studies are finished in France, I decided to go back here." She replied. The principal looked at his watch and realized the time.

"We'll talk more later. As of now, go with Michiko-sensei to your room. Classes will begin in five minutes."

"Of course sensei." She went with Michiko-sensei who was waiting for her outside the door. She led her to Class 3-C.

"Please stay outside for a while. I will introduce you to the class." She said and went inside. Of course Shindou and Kirino were in the same room.

"Class, before we begin, I would like to introduce to you a new student. Actually, she once studied here and transferred back." She started. After hearing this, Shindou stopped reading his book and Kirino payed close attention.

"May I introduce to you, Ayaka Hikari." That gave Ayaka the signal to come in at last. The boys' eyes widened to see their best friend again.

"Good morning everyone, I am Ayaka Hikari. It was nice to meet you all!" She greeted them with a cheerful smile. There was a vacant seat just beside Kirino so Michiko-sensei signaled her to sit there.

"Now that we're all settled, let's begin our lesson." Michiko-sensei started.

Classes went on. Half of the students weren't paying attention. It was another lesson about the history of Japan. Some were doodling on their notebooks, others were passing secret notes to each other. Michiko–sensei doesn't seem to notice since she's always writing on the board. Finally, after all the classes are finished, the school bell rang. Classes are over at last!

Ayaka was still arranging her books in her bag when Shindou approached her. "So, are you coming back to the soccer club?" he asked.

"Of course I will! One of the reasons I came back here was to play soccer with you guys!" she happily replied. She took his hand and ran off with him to the clubroom

"Hey! Wait for wait for me!" Kirino was left behind. He grabbed his bag and ran after them.

Shindou and Ayaka reached the clubroom door and Kirino came running after them. "You didn't have to leave back there!" He panted.

"Oh, sorry about that... I got a little excited." She apologized and gave a giggle. Suddenly, Michiko-sensei showed up right before they could enter.

"Sorry to interrupt, but Ayaka is needed in the principal's office. Can you please come with me for a while, Ayaka." She told them.

"O-Of course. It will only take a few minutes right?" She asked.

"Yes"

"Sorry Shindou, Kirino. I'll just have to meet the team on the field." Ayaka turned to her friends and apologized.

"No problem. We'll see ya later!" Kirino replied.

Then Ayaka left with Michiko-sensei to the principal's office. The boy's entered the clubroom. They say almost most of the team members already there.

"Good Afternoon!" The cheerful Tenma greeted the Captain and Kirino. They greeted them back and sat down the bench.

"So, Where's Ayaka? I thought she's here." Hayami questioned them. Shindou explained everything. After all that, the door slid open and came in Coach Kidou and Haruna-sensei. He asked them to change into their uniforms and go directly to the field. They arrived at the field and starting their training.

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><p><strong>At the Principal's Office…<strong>

Ayaka was brought to the office. The principal was waiting for her. " Good afternoon Sensei!" She greeted him.

"Good afternoon to you as well. Now let's continue our conversation this morning. Now that you've come back, you will be back at being the vice president of the student council." He explained.

"Then what about the person who took over my position? Will he be okay with it?"

"We already talk to him. He said that he's happy that you came back. He's willing to give you back your position."

"Wow he's a really nice guy! I should thank him later."

"So will you accept this position again?"

" I accept."

"Wonderful. There will be a student council meeting tomorrow. You should attend the meeting to start your work."

"Yes Sensei. Thank you!"

"That is all. You may leave."

Ayaka left the principal's office and went to her locker. She deposited her things and headed to the clubroom. She found It empty. _They must be at training right now. Maybe I should surprise them! _She thought. She then changed to her training uniform and proceed to the field.

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><p><strong>At training…..<strong>

"Presto Turn!" Aoyama shouted and he got past Nishiki. However, Nishiki wasn't done yet. He ran after Aoyama and stole the ball from him.

Their training was getting better and better. Everyone showed great teamwork and cooperation. Their skills are improving a lot as well!

"Atlanits Wall!" Amagi blocked the shoot and the ball went out of the field. Then….

"Comet Buster!" They heard someone shouted. The ball was headed to the goal. It was covered with blue and purple aura and what seems to be a comet! A hissatsu! Sangoku didn't have the time to react and the ball went straight to the net.

"You really should be more alert. You'll never know where the shoot will come from." The hissatsu user reveled herself to them.

"Ayaka!" Sangoku gasped. So did the whole team. It's been a while since they saw her and her hissatsus. They all ran to her.

"So how were you doing?" Hayami asked.

"Oh just fine. It's a little boring in France without you guys!" She replied.

She looked around and saw Tenma and Shinsuke. "You must be Matsukaze Tenma and Nishizono Shinsuke. Kirino told me all about you!"

"Yes we are. Nice to finally meet you Ayaka-san!" Tenma replied.

"We hope we'll become great friends!" Shinsuke followed" Shinsuke followed.

"I really hope so!"

Then Shindou cut in. "Ayaka, allow me to introduce to you our new members, Tsurugi Kyousuke, Kageyama Hikaru and our new manager, Sorano Aoi."

"Hello~!" She greeted in an energetic tone. Aoi and Hikaru smiled and Tsurugi just nodded.

"Can I join you training?"

"Sure you can!"

Coach Kidou was just observing them and allow her to join them in training. She happily trains with her teammates. _I'm happy to be back! I now have my new and old friends with me! _She thought.

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><p><strong>Please Review! :P<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Welcome to Raimon Ayaka!

**Hey Minna! I'm really sorry for the late update. I was in the province and there's no internet! NO INTERNET! Whew! I'm glad i'm back here where there is INTERNET CONNECTION! Well, on with the story!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

The team was continuing their training along with Ayaka. She accurately stole the ball from Kurama and passed it to Nishiki who passed it to Shindou. Shindou shoots but was caught by Shinsuke.

"Nice catch, Shinsuke." Shindou complimented him.

" Thanks Captain!" Shinsuke smiled. Now that he received advice from Tachimukai, he has been improving his skills better and better. He then threw the ball to Tenma. Then Coach Kidou called out.

"Break Time!"

"Minna, we have prepared special drinks for you!" Aoi waved her hand at them. Everyone rushed to her to get their drinks. What would be more refreshing than super cold drinks after practice?

Ayaka approached Coach Kidou. "Coach Kidou, I would like to join the soccer club."

"Alright. You may join since you were able to show me your skills." Coach Kidou replied.

"Thank you so much! I'll do my best." Then she smiled and went to Aoi to get her drink.

"Alright everyone, I have an announcement to make." Coach Kidou called everyone's attention.

"We have a new member. Let's welcome Ayaka Hikari." Everyone was happy to hear that they have a new teammate. Ayaka gave them a warm smile and thanked them for welcoming her to the team.

"That's all for today. See you all tomorrow." Haruna-sensei said.

"Hai!" Everyone went to the locker room to change. Ayaka went to the girl's restroom to change. After changing, some already went home. Others stayed for a while to have some conversation.

"So, what do you think our next opponent be like?" Nishiki asked Shindou.

"I don't know. I'll ask some information from Haruna-sensei tomorrow. They might be stronger than we think." He replied. The door opened and Ayaka came in now dressed in her school uniform. She went to her bag to arrange her things. Suddenly, Tenma and Shinsuke came running in followed by Kariya who seemed to be chasing them. They're running away from him.

"Captain! Help us! Kariya's holding a spider. He's sacring us!" Shinsuke cried. The two went behind a confused Shindou.

"How can the two of you be scared of a spider? It's just a small creature. You're fun to play with!" Kariya laughed and went closer and closer to them.

"Kariya, stop it." Kirino blocked him. Kariya stopped and just threw the spider somewhere. The spider landed on Ayaka's head. Ayaka wondered the thing that's moving on her head. She touched and felt the eight legged creature.

"AHHHHH! SPIDER! SPIDER! Get it off me!" She screamed and started to run around the clubroom. She was even more scared than Tenma and Shinsuke. The three first years just looked at her confusingly.

"Kariya! You shouldn't have done that!" Kirino scolded. He tried to calm down Ayaka. She kept on running around and Shindou and Kirino was just chasing her. The other members just watched them.

"Got you!" Shindou caught her and Kirino removed the spider from her head.

"Calm down Ayaka. The spider's gone." Shindou said. Ayaka was breathing heavily but was glad the spider's gone and sat down.

"What happened, Kirino-senpai?" Tenma asked.

"She has arachnophobia. It's the fear of spiders."

After hearing that, Kariya flashed out a grin. "This is gonna be fun." He said to himself.

"Don't even think about it Kariya." Kirino interrupted him. Ayaka then stood up from her seat. Her face was covered with her hair which makes her look creepy.

"Now. Who's the jerk who threw the spider on my head?" Ayaka's personality suddenly changed into a frightening one. She looks scary when she's mad. Everyone pointed at Kariya. Ayaka walked closer to him. Kariya started to shiver. She went closer and closer.

"Since you don't know I have a phobia from spiders, I'll let you pass. But next time, please don't do it again." She said sweetly. Her personality changed again. Kariya just sighed and the others just sweatdropped. They thought she's gonna do something horrible to him.

"What are you still doing here? We've already dismissed you so go home now." Haruna-sensei heard some noise in the clubroom so she went inside and scolded them.

"Hai!" Everyone replied as they hurriedly grab their things and head home.

"Ayaka, can I go home with you? I haven't seen your parents for a long time." Kirino said.

"Me too. I hope they still remember us." Shindou followed.

"Of course you can. My parents will never forget my best friends." Ayaka answered. The three started walking home. While walking, Ayaka told them what happened when she was in France. They laughed and imagine the times when they were little. After a few streets, they reached her house.

"Tadaima!" She said.

"Welcome home Hikari." Mrs. Ayaka greeted as she walked out of the kitchen. She then saw Shindou and Kirino.

"Oh, Shindou, Kirino, It's been a long time since I've seen your faces. Please make yourselves at home. I'll prepare some snacks for you."

"Mom, where's Dad?" Ayaka asked before her before she goes back to the kitchen.

"Oh, sorry honey. Dad has some errands back at work so he'll be back in a week." She apologized for not telling her earlier. Ayaka's face became sad after hearing the news. She wants her dad to see them again but he's always busy at work.

"It's okay. He'll only stay there for a week. The week will be over before we know it." She positively said but she is still sad. She used a fake smile so that her friends won't worry.

"So Shindou, can you tell me more about Tenma-kun?" Ayaka started.

"Well, he is the reason why we got back the confidence to play 'real soccer'. He encouraged us to go against fifth sector. There is this one personality of him that interests me…." He said

"What is it?"

"….His ability to create a strong bond in the team and having the will not to give for in reaching his goals."

"Wow, he's a really interesting boy."

"At first, we thought that going against fifth sector was a bad idea, but because of him, we all got the courage to stand for what is right." Kirino added. Shindou nodded in agreement.

"He's so amazing. I can't imagine the team without him."

"Hikari, here are some juice and sandwiches." Mrs. Ayaka entered carrying a tray of snacks and placed it on the table.

"Thanks mom."

"Well, I'll leave you three in here. I've got some dinner to cook." Mrs. Ayaka, went inside the kitchen again to cook dinner.

"Hey guys do you have any plans for the weekend?" Ayaka asked.

"Well, we will have soccer practice in the morning but after that, I got no plans." Shindou replied.

"Me too. Why did you asked?" Kirino said.

"I want to invite the whole team to a picnic after practice. But I'm not sure if all of them are available this Saturday. I'll ask them first."

"That's a great idea. Since we are all training hard for our next match, we also need time to relax." Shindou exclaimed.

"We'll ask everyone tomorrow." Kirino followed.

"Yeah." Ayaka agreed. They ate their snacks while talking about things. The boys realized that it's getting late so they said goodbye to Ayaka and went home.

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><p><strong>~~The Next Day~~<strong>

"A Picnic?" Everyone at the clubroom said with a shock.

"Eh? Why are you acting like you don't want to?" Ayaka questioned.

"No, it's not like that. It's just we hadn't have a picnic including the whole team." Hayami explained.

"Well, is everyone available this weekend?"

"Yeah!" The team said.

"Can I invite Aki-san? She can help with the snacks." Tenma asked.

"Sure. Why not? Everyone is invited! The more the merrier!" Ayaka replied. The door slid open and Coach Kidou came with Haruna-sensei.

"Coach Kidou, Haruna-sensei, can you join us on a picnic this Saturday? After practice?" Shindou asked them as they enter the clubroom.

"Sure. But you have to train hard for our upcoming match." Coach Kidou said.

"Yes sir!" Everyone exclaimed.

"_Yes! This is going to be an awesome picnic!" _Ayaka said in her thoughts.

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><p><strong>Please review! I'll update the next chapter as soon as finish writing it.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4: Best Friends' past Revealed!

**I'm really sorry again for the late update. I'm starting to plan another story for my birthday. More like a birthday fic or something. Wow! Ideas kept on coming to me. Another fic again? I know... Don't worry the story will come maybe next month 'cause ya know, my birthday is next month. Let's stop talking about my birthday fic and start reading the story, shall we? Yes, we shall.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

It was 6 am in the morning when Ayaka woke up. Today is Friday and she's looking forward for tomorrow's picnic. She jumped from her bed and quickly fixed her hair. She checked for her reports for the student council meeting later this afternoon. Then, she gathered all her school materials and placed them in her bag. She prepared everything else she'll need for today.

"Now then, I guess i'll be going to school very early." She looked at the time. It's still 6:30 and she has a lot of time before the morning practice. She took an early bath and put on her school uniform.

"Hikari, are you awake? Breakfast is ready!" Mrs. Ayaka's voice is heard from downstairs. She called out just in time for Ayaka to come down.

"Yes mom. I'm coming!" She grabbed her bag, along with her reports which didn't fit in the bag since her bag is already full. Downstairs to the kitchen she went and sat down the dining table.

"Looks like you already have a lot of work on the second day." Mrs. Ayaka notice the small pile of papers Ayaka was holding. She just nodded and ate her breakfast. After taking the last bite, she kissed her mom's cheek, get her things and bid her goodbye.

"Going to school early? It's not even time for your morning practice." Mrs. Ayaka said.

"No need to worry, It's better to go early than to go late."

"Well then, have fun at school!"

"I will. Bye Mom!" Ayaka left the house and walk to school.

"I wonder if Shindou or Kirino's ready to go…" She said to herself and headed first to Shindou's house because it's the closest.

"Ayaka, you're early today. Come in. Takuto's still upstairs preparing his things for school." Mrs. Shindou led Ayaka to the living room.

"Mom, have you seen my- Oh Ayaka, you're early." Shindou went down to look for his shoes when he saw Ayaka.

"Good morning Shindou." Ayaka greeted.

"Honey, here's your shoes." She handed him his shoes. Shindou wore it immediately. He hurriedly went back to his room to get his bag then said goodbye to his mom.

"We'll be going now. See you later." Mrs. Shindou waved a hand to her son as he leave the gate with Ayaka and off to Kirino's house. When they arrived at Kirino's house, Kirino was already going out of the door just in time.

They walked to school excitedly. They can't wait for morning practice. Once they entered the school grounds, they went to the clubroom only to see Tenma and Shinsuke.

" Ohayou!" They greeted each other.

"We're all early today!" Tenma commented.

"Don't forget about the picnic tomorrow!" Ayaka reminded them.

"How can we forget? We are so excited!" Shinsuke cheerfully said.

"We can't wait for tomorrow." Tenma exclaimed. After some time, the others arrived.

The day went pretty well. They had an energetic morning practice then their classes. After that there's also an afternoon practice. Ayaka did an excellent report at the student council.

**~~~The Next Day, After Practice~~~**

"Is everyone here?" Ayaka looked around to see if they are complete. They waited for the others in the riverbank.

"Aki-nee is on her way here." Tenma said.

"We're here!" Haruna-sensei arrived with Coach Kidou. It seems they also brought a picnic basket. They heard a sound of a vehicle approaching. It was Furukabu-san with the Inazuma Caravan.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Are you ready to go?" He asked Ayaka. She said that they're still waiting for the others.

"Sorry I'm late!" Aki-san finally arrived and brought along Sasuke.

"Aki-nee, why did you bring Sasuke?" Tenma saw Sasuke. He should be home but Aki-san brought him with her.

"I'm sorry Tenma-kun but there's no one there to look after him. Kogure-kun has received a last-minute call to a meeting so I thought of bringing him." She explained. Sasuke barked in agreement.

"It's alright. I'm really fond of dogs." Ayaka said and kneeled down to caress Sasuke. Sasuke liked it and licked Ayaka on the cheek.

"Well then, let's go!" Everyone went inside the caravan and they're off to the picnic grounds.

"Where are we going Ayaka-san?" Shinsuke asked. He is seated with Tenma and a seat away from Ayaka who is with Shindou. Kirino is seatmates with Kariya.

"You'll see. Just wait 'til we get there." She happily replied.

"It sure has been a while since we got the whole team involved in an outdoor activity." Haruna-sensei said. Coach Kidou nodded. The team should really have a relaxing day with each other to keep them motivated.

"We're here!" Furukabu–san announced. The team checked out the view from the window. They saw a huge green field. The atmosphere was so peaceful and they can see the wind blowing to the grass. The sun is shining perfectly and fluffy clouds are seen on the sky.

"WOW!" They exclaimed and hurriedly went out of the caravan. They prepared their mats and set up the food.

"I've baked some cake." Aki-san said and put the cake on the mat.

"Onii-san and I made Okaka Onigiri!" Haruna-sensei said. She placed the food near Aki-san's.

"Kidou made this with you?" Aki-san asked the bluish-violet haired advisor.

"Yeah! He helped me out in shaping these and cooking them." Haruna-sensei said.

"Coach Kidou can cook? Cool!" Shinsuke exclaimed.

"This must have taste good." Tenma said as he tastes the onigiri and found it very delicious.

"If Coach Kidou can cook very well, how come he still doesn't have a wife?" Kariya whispered to Kageyama. Hikaru sweatdropped and gave a laugh.

"Shouldn't the wife be the one who can cook very well?" Hikaru whispered back to the blue-haired boy.

"Maybe Coach Kidou is better in being a wife than a husband." Kariya chuckled.

"You shouldn't talk about our Coach's social life." Hikaru almost laugh hard on what the other first year said but he tried not to let the Coach notice them. But Coach Kidou knows that they're talking about him so he shot a terrifying glare at the boys which made them silent.

"Here, my mom and I made some Takoyaki." Ayaka placed the food near Haruna-sensei's onigiri. After everyone presented their own food, they started to dig in. Some brought sushi, some bento, even some brought the same food. The food they brought was enough for everyone. Even if Amagi eats more than anyone else, at least they have extra.

"You know Ayaka-san, I was thinking about how the three of you met." Tenma wondered. The three best friends looked at each other and gave a small laugh.

"Is there something funny?" Tenma raised an eyebrow and gave serious look.

"No, it's nothing. It's just, the day we met, we saved each other from getting beaten up." Kirino said.

"It was even the first time I started playing soccer." Ayaka added.

"I still remember the look on that jerk's face." Shindou chuckled.

"Here's how it goes….." Ayaka started to tell them the story.

_~~~Flashback~~~_

_The five year old Ayaka was wondering through the playground. She was very bored at home so she asked permission from her parents to go outside. She saw an empty swing set and rushed to sit there. She still has no friends since she goes out very rarely but she does know a certain group of bullies who hang around the playground. The young girl looked around to see if the rotten bullies arrived but luckily, they haven't. _

_She only saw two boys playing with a black and white ball on one side of the playground. The first boy has grey hair with small waves at the bottom. His friend was kind of girlish looking. Having pink hair tied into two pigtails._

"_I've never seen these two before." The young girl said to herself. The boys are usual hang outs at the playground but since she goes out rarely, she doesn't seem to notice them. When there's a time she's at the playground, there are a lot of kids but now, they're the only ones there so she noticed them for the first time. The same thing for the two boys, they only saw the girl for the first time._

"_What's with that ball?" The girl thought. The looks familiar because she always sees it on magazines and on televisions but she never played it before._

"_Hey! So we meet again." Ayaka looked at the direction where the voice came from. Oh no! The rotten bullies arrived. Takeshi, the group's leader shouted out. He is three years older than her._

"_You again? What do you want this time?" She annoyingly asked the red-haired bully._

"_You're gonna pay for what you did to me the last time we met." He said and showed his black eye. Ayaka punched his eye for stealing her lunch on her way to school the other day._

"_Hahah! You call yourself a bully when you got punched in the eye by a five year old girl." Ayaka laughed. What kind of bully gets punched by a girl three years younger than him? The look on his face was priceless._

"_Oh? And I see you brought back-up." She notice a bunch of boys behind Takeshi._

"_Yeah, and we'll return the black eye to you."_

"_You plan to beat up a girl? What a sissy!" He got very angry and signaled his 'minions' to grab the girl. They grabbed both of her arms so she cannot punch. Ayaka struggles to break free. She was outnumbered! Shindou and Kirino heard some noise coming from the nearby swingset. They saw her struggling from the bullies' grip. They let go of the ball and went to help her._

"_Hey! Why are you bullying that girl?" Shindou interrupted them._

"_It's none of your business!" Takeshi yelled._

"_If you're gonna bully her, you have to go through us!" Kirino said._

"_Okay. You'll gonna wish you didn't say that." Takeshi said. He signaled his group to let go of the girl and grab the two boys. Now the boys are the ones struggling._

"_Oh no! They're in trouble because of me. I've got to help them. But how?" Ayaka said to herself. She saw the black and white ball that two boys are playing with and she got an idea. She saw them kicking the ball._

"_You're going home with a black eye-"_

"_Hey Takeshi!" The bully wasn't able to finish. He turned to the voice's direction and saw a flying ball. The ball hit his face and made him fall to the ground. The one who kicked it was Ayaka. She retrieved the ball back and started to kick it through the other bullies. The ones who grabbed Shindou and Kirino got scared and ran away, freeing them. _

"_Never underestimate a girl." Ayaka said to the unconscious Takeshi. The two boys ran to her to thank her._

"_Why'd you helped me?" Ayaka asked them._

"_It's not right to fight a girl." Young Shindou replied._

"_Bullying is not a good thing to do." Young Kirino added._

"_Thank you for defending me."_

"_Thank you for saving us."_

"_Hi! I am Ayaka Hikari. What are your names?" She asked._

"_My name is Shindou Takuto and this is my friend, Kirino Ranmaru."_

"_Nice to meet you."_

"_He's a boy right?" Ayaka jokingly asked._

"_Of course I'm a boy! Having pink hair tied into pigtails doesn't automatically make a girl!" Kirino cried._

"_Sorry, sorry. I'm just joking you know." The black-haired girl giggled._

"_Have you played soccer before? Your shoot was amazing!" Shindou said._

"_No. I just watch soccer games on TV so I was able to kick the ball right. Even I myself am surprised." Ayaka replied._

"_Well, come on! We'll teach you all about soccer."_

"_Sakka Yarou ze!"_

_The next day, the boys went to school. They entered their classroom and saw a flash of black hair enter their classroom. She might be a new student and that hair looks familiar._

"_Ayaka?"_

"_Oh! It's you guys again!"_

"_What are you doing here?"_

"_My parents transferred me here so that I don't have to see that rotten bully."_

"_Well, that's great! Then we'll be great friends!"_

"_No, we're going to be best friends!"_

**~~~End of Flashback~~~**

"… so since then, we always go to school together. We also joined the soccer club and we became best friends ever since."

"Cool flashback!" Shinsuke exclaimed imagining the story in his mind.

"So, even if Kirino-senpai was young, he still has his pigtails and pink hair?" Kariya mischievously asked which made Kirino a little irritated.

"Come on guys, no fighting." Aoi said before they could do something.

"How about we play soccer?" Ayaka suggested.

"But we did not bring any soccer ball." Tenma explained.

"Oh right." Ayaka remembered.

"But I have a tennis ball!" Tenma excitingly said.

"What's the tennis ball for?" Shinsuke asked the brunette.

"It's for Sasuke! Aki-san gave it to me." The team just sweat dropped. Tenma threw the ball to a distance and told Sasuke to fetch. The dog dashed to the ball and quickly returned it to Tenma.

"Here's a soccer ball! I found it under Tenma's seat!" Shinsuke showed them the ball. They all looked at Tenma.

"What? I thought I forgot to bring it!" Tenma stated. The others just sighed at Tenma's forgetful attitude.

"Come on then." Sangoku requested.

"What about the nets?" Kurumada asked.

"We don't need to shoot goals. We'll have fun kicking the ball around!" Hamano suggested. Everyone agreed. They started to kick the ball and passed it to one another. Some dribbled it around then pass it to another member.

"Kurama-senpai!" Matsukaze kick the ball to Kurama.

"Yeah! Sangoku!"

"Amagi"

"Aoyama!"

"Ichino!"

"Kurumada!" They passed the ball to each of their teammates. The managers along with Aki-san, Haruna-sensei and Coach Kidou just watched them. Aki-san threw the ball again so Sasuke can fetch it.

"Ayaka!" The ball was passed high upwards to her and she ran to the ball. Before she could get the ball she saw a tennis ball landed on her hand. She then saw Sasuke heading to her to fetch the ball. She realized the dog was after the ball but she didn't have time to escape. The dog jumped on her which caused her to fell over and picked the ball on her hands. Even worse, the lose soccer ball hit her head.

"Ow…." She rubbed her hurting head. The others quickly checked if she was alright but Ayaka stated she's fine.

"I'm so sorry." Aki-san apologized.

"It's okay. No need to worry." Ayaka replied, still rubbing her head.

"Ayaka-chan, it's getting dark. Should we head back?" Aki-san asked. The sun was already setting. The sky was a mix of the colors yellow and orange. It was a wonderful view.

"We should watch first the sunset. It's so pretty!" Ayaka exclaimed. Akane got amazed by the view that she took pictures of it. She also took the picture of the whole team. Aki-san volunteered to take the picture of everyone including Sasuke. They gave their best smile.

"Climb aboard! We'll reach the school early if we get going." Furukabu started the engine. They packed their things and picked up their small trashes. After that, they went in the caravan and it took off.

"I'm tired…" Hayami yawned. He also noticed Hamano yawning and so did the rest of his seatmates. He even saw Ichino and Aoyama already asleep.

"Ayaka-san, can we-" Shinsuke was about to ask the black-haired girl. But he didn't continue his question because Ayaka was already asleep.

"She's already asleep when we left." Shindou explained. He looked at Ayaka who was leaning against the window, sleeping.

"Oh, I'm sorry to disturb." Shinsuke whispered. He sat down on his seat. Tenma asked Shinsuke the thing he was about to ask the second year.

"I was going to ask her if we can visit her house."

"Why?"

"I want to see how she train and how she got those amazing skills. I heard from Captain that she trains in her backyard."

"We're here. Thanks for riding here at the Raimon Caravan." Furukabu announced. They woke up the people who are asleep and told them they've arrived. They gathered their things and they left the caravan. Ayaka, still feeling sleepy, thank him for bringing them to the picnic safely.

"Ayaka-san, can we go to your house tomorrow?" Shinsuke finally asked the woken up Ayaka.

"*Yawn* Sure. I'll be going home now." She sleepily said. She also thanked Coach Kidou, Haruna-sensei, Aki-san and the rest of the team for coming along with her before saying goodbye and parted ways going home. She went home with Shindou and Kirino, as usual.

"I'm home." Ayaka said. She saw her mom preparing the table for dinner.

"Is Dad home?" She asked.

"He won't arrive until tomorrow sweetie." She frowned after hearing that.

"I'm really sorry, Hikari but your dad's flight was delayed." Her mom tried to cheer her up but it was no use. Ayaka went upstairs.

"You're not eating dinner?"

"I lost my appetite, and besides, I'm tired to eat anyway."

After changing to her pajamas, she immediately went to bed. _This is so unfair! Dad should not always be busy about work. I only get to see him for two weeks and then another business affair overseas! So Unfair! _She thought to herself before she fell asleep.

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><p><strong>Whew! Now that this chapter's done, i'll take my 2 week break. It's the second week of school and i need to focus in my studies or else, i'll always stay rank 2. Or worse, being rank 3 or lower. FOCUS! <strong>

**Please review and i'll be more motivated to update the next chapter! Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Scholarship,The Pressure

**I don't need to explain for my long break. If you read The Dark Path then you'll know my explanation. Anyways, I need to thank those who are really following my stories especially Lordranged7! Here's the chapter I hope you like it! Sorry for any errors.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

"_Oh, before you go, here is a letter from the principal of Chevalier school."_

"_A letter? What for?"_

"_He said it's for your daughter. They saw her achievements, performances and very excellent skills especially in academics in her data from Raimon and they would like to give her a scholarship. He said that she would have better studies if she transferred there."_

"_O-kay. But I don't think she'll accept it. I mean, she just got back from France, and she doesn't want to leave Japan."_

"_That's okay. She'll have a whole month to think about it. If she decided not to accept, then it's okay."_

The man shook his head to stop his flashback. He stared at the letter given by his friend.

"I'll leave the decision to Hikari." He said to himself. He looked at the window to his left. He's on his way back to Japan to finally get some rest. The man with black hair, same style as Shinichi Handa's, wearing his usual attire at work, returned the letter back to his bag and took a nap. It's a long journey back to Japan, after all.

**~~~The Next Day~~~ **

"I home!" Mr. Ayaka announced as he entered with his bags.

"Welcome home Dad!" Once Ayaka heard her father's voice, she hurriedly went downstairs and gave him a big, warm hug.

"I miss you Hikari."

"I miss you too!"

"Welcome home honey. I know you'll arrive at this time so I already prepared your favorite food." Mrs. Ayaka went out of the kitchen to greet her husband.

"Okonomiyaki?" He guessed.

"Just how you like it!" She replied. They all went to the dining room and sat down the dining table. The delicious aroma of the Okonomiyaki filled the room.

"Hikari, I have a surprise for you." Mr. Ayaka said.

"What surprise?" Ayaka, curious of what that surprise is, asked. He reached for his bag beside his chair and put out the letter.

"This is a scholarship to Chevalier School in California." Ayaka frowned when she heard it.

"What's wrong honey, don't you want it?" Mrs. Ayaka asked.

"I _want_ it but I just got here. And I don't want to leave my all my friends especially Shindou and Kirino."

"It's okay. You have a month to decide on it."

"Okay. But my decision will not change." She finalized her decision. Although she still has doubts of rejecting the scholarship because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity but she knows she's doing the right thing.

After the meal, she said that she'll practice some Taekwondo with the punching bag in the backyard. She wore her taekwondo uniform and fixed her hair into a ponytail for it not to get in the way when she's practicing.

_Punch!_

_Punch!_

_Punch!_

Ayaka still hasn't gone over with the scholarship thing. Did she really make the right decision? Why does the thought kept coming back to her? She tried to shake the thought off but it still comes back.

_Kick!_

_Kick!_

_Kick!_

"I'm-Not-Going-To-California!" She cried. She gave to punching bag multiple kicks and punches to forget about the scholarship. After a while, she calmed down. She sat down the soft grass and stared at her mini soccer field which consists of a goal but a little smaller than what they use at school and enough space in front of the goal to perform techniques. This is where she practices her hissatsus.

_*Knock*_

_*Knock*_

"Konnichiwa! I am Matsukaze Tenma and this is Nishizono Shinsuke. We're here to visit Ayaka-san." Tenma introduced himself and Shinsuke to Mrs. Ayaka.

"Is she home?" Shinsuke asked.

"Oh! You're her teammates from the soccer club. Aren't you?"

"Yes we are!"

"Oh, she's in the backyard practicing. Come inside and I'll lead you there." She invited them in. She led them to their backyard and there they saw Ayaka 'attacking' the punching bag.

"Ayaka-san!" Tenma called. Ayaka noticed Tenma and Shinsuke and stopped kicking the bag.

"Oh! What are you guys doing here?" She curiously asked.

"Don't you remember? We asked you if we can visit your house and you said yes." Shinsuke explained. Ayaka thought about it for a while.

"Yeah! I remember." She confirmed.

"So are you practicing for a competition or something?"

"Nah, I just wanna shake some thoughts off."

"What thoughts?" Ayaka knew Tenma would pop the question out.

"Y'know, school projects, reports and some other things." She clearly lied. The whole thought was about the scholarship.

"Well, since you're here, can you help me practice some moves?" She changed the topic before they realize she's lying.

"Sure! I want to see you do some hissatsus." Shinsuke exclaimed.

"No, silly. I meant practice some Taekwondo moves."

"Ohhhh…."

"So, will you do it?"

"Sure!"

Tenma held the kick pad and Ayaka kicked it. He held the kick pad higher and higher and her kicks went higher and higher as well. Shinsuke mentioned the different kicks written on the handbook and Ayaka has to perform it. After a few minutes of practice, they sat down next to the table. Mrs. Ayaka prepared some drinks for them to keep them refreshed.

"Thank You!" They all said.

"How about we play some soccer?" Ayaka suggested and gave a smirk.

"Soccer? YES! We've been waiting for you to say that!" Tenma said out loud.

"Here's a soccer ball. You go and play first, I'll change my clothes. It's kinda awkward to play soccer while wearing my taekwondo uniform." She gave the soccer ball to Tenma and went upstairs.

"Come on Shinsuke!" Tenma invited the other brunette who was still sitting on the chair.

"Let's play!" Shinsuke jumped from his seat and quickly ran to Tenma.

Tenma started by passing the ball to Shinsuke. He ran towards the goal and was about to use Buttobi jump. He jumped high up in the air and the ball also went high up. The ball begins to gain power and Shinsuke kicked the ball with both of his feet. However Tenma didn't give up that easily. He went in front of the goal and used Spiral Draw but this time without the tornado. The hissatsu was seen more clearly without the tornado and looks cooler.

"I never saw Spiral Draw without the tornado!" Shinsuke exclaimed.

"Now it's my turn!" Tenma then kicked the ball to the goal with great power. The ball went in and scored a point for Tenma.

"Nice!" Shinsuke complimented him.

"Hey! Having fun practicing?" Ayaka finally went out, now wearing her casual clothes. Her clothes consist of a blue short dress, paired up with black cycling shorts that reached below her knee, black vest with a button on top and white boots. This time, her hair was fixed to her usual style; some of her hair was fixed into a side ponytail on the right side.

"Cool outfit, Ayaka-san!" Tenma said.

"I've never seen you wearing anything else besides her soccer uniform and jersey, school uniform and taekwondo uniform." Shinsuke also said.

"Thanks, but I just randomly picked these combinations of clothes but if you think it's good on me, then I'll make this my usual outfit!" She thanked them for the compliment.

"Let's go to the riverbank. We'll have a lot of space there." She suggested.

"Well, Sure! Let's go!" Tenma said.

"Wait a sec." She ran inside the house to get something. When she came out, she's now wearing a helmet, knee and elbow pads and white roller blades. She was holding a bag containing her previous shoes.

"What's that for?" Shinsuke asked the second year.

"Since the riverbank is quite far from our house, I'll use these to get there. Besides, it'll be good exercise!" She exclaimed.

Tenma and Shinsuke tried to keep up with Ayaka. Since she was in her roller blades, she was moving fast and the boys need to need to run to keep up. They are very tired form all that running so Ayaka slowed down and just went into normal speed for them not to get even more tired. She apologized for going too fast. The two boys gave her their pardon. Not much longer, they reached the riverbank. Ayaka changed her roller blades into her white boots.

"Come on, let's begin! Shinsuke will be the goalkeeper. I'll face Tenma."She explained the rules. Tenma and Ayaka will both act as a midfielder and race to score 3 point first. Shinsuke must protect the goal no matter who shoots. Also if Shinsuke catches or blocks the ball, he gets a point so, the first one to reach 3 among them wins.

"And….Begin!" Tenma has the ball first. He quickly dashed past Ayaka and went straight to the goal. Ayaka also ran to steal the ball from him. Her speed was very amazing that she quickly went in front of Tenma and stole the ball. Then she headed for the goal.

"Oh, no you don't!" Tenma said as he ran after to steal the ball. However he wasn't able to catch up to Ayaka's speed. Once Ayaka got in front of the goal she used her hissatsu, Comet Blade. She jumped along with the ball, spin three times as the ball builds up power with a bluish purple color. After the triple spin, she kicked the ball and the ball went straight to the goal like a comet, giving the surroundings a background of space. Shinsuke summoned his Keshin and used Majin the Hand but the shoot was too powerful and went in.

"One point for me~!" She said in a cheerful tone.

"I'll score in the next round." Tenma replied to Shinsuke.

"Then i'll stop it!" Shinsuke said.

"Let's begin round 2!" Then Ayaka remembered her conversation with her parents.

"_This is a scholarship to Chevalier School in California." _

"_What's wrong honey, don't you want it?" _

"_I want it but I just got here. And I don't want to leave my all my friends especially Shindou and Kirino."_

"_It's okay. You have a month to decide on it."_

"_Okay. But my decision will not change."_

"And…..Go!" Tenma has the ball and heads straight for the goal. He dashed quickly and Ayaka was still behind him. It's probably because she was still thinking about the scholarship as seen from her face. Her mind was full of thoughts, all related to it. Tenma didn't notice for was in front of her. He shoots and scores, Shinsuke didn't have the time to call his Keshin.

"Yes!" Tenma said out loud. He noticed Ayaka just standing there behind him. Her eyes were fixed to the sky. She was looking at a distance, in deep thoughts.

"Ayaka-san, are you alright?" He asked the black haired-girl. Ayaka snapped back to reality and replied to Tenma.

"I'm fine. I was just thinking, what if your best friend just arrived after a long time, stayed only for a few days and suddenly tells you that he'll leave again?"

"I would feel disappointed at the same time sad for him…." His answer made her feel depressed.

"But we will promise each other that one day we will meet again and when that day comes, I'll welcome him gratefully. That means we should not let arguments with them to last long because we don't know when will they leave or go away. Every friend is important to me, especially Shinsuke. " He gave a very inspiring speech that made Ayaka regain her cheerfulness.

"That was long but thanks. At least you cheered me up." Ayaka finally smiled.

"What are those two talking about?" Shinsuke asked himself and kept on looking at them from the goalpost.

"By the way, Ayaka-san, why'd you asked that for? Did something happen?" Tenma raised an eyebrow in asking the question.

"Nothing at all. I'm just using that situation in my story for English class." She obviously lied again but Tenma didn't notice it.

"Hey! You forgot about me! Aren't we supposed to resume our practice?" Shinsuke came running to them. He was left out back in the goalpost while Tenma and Ayaka were talking and he wants to know what they're talking about.

"Oh, Ayaka-san just asked me something." Tenma replied and smiled.

"Then let's continue. Tenma and I already scored one point. Shinsuke, you need to stop our shoots if you want to get a point. " Ayaka reminded Shinsuke.

"Then let's begin the next round! I'll stop them!" Shinsuke suggested.

"Okay, round 3….Begin!"

"Shinsuke, focus, focus. Concentrate on how the ball moves. Then stop it with all you've got." He said to himself. He watched the ball as Tenma tries to steal it from Ayaka. She kicks the ball upwards and jumped above Tenma. She landed gracefully with a spin on the air behind Tenma and the ball landed in front of her. She then gave a mighty shoot.

"Here it comes, focus!" Shinsuke released his Keshin, Goseishin Titanias and successfully blocked it with all his hands.

"Yeah! I stopped it!" He rejoiced. Tenma and Ayaka went to him to give the goalkeeper their congratulation.

"So, all you have to do is focus, eh." Tenma said. Shinsuke nodded, his smile still hasn't left his face.

"We're all tied!"Ayaka added.

"Let's start round 4!" The two soccer-loving boys said.

"Uhm…. Actually, I need to get going. I need to start on my reports, tomorrow's my deadline." Ayaka suddenly said.

"Reports? Again?" Shinsuke sadly said.

"Didn't you just pass your reports last Friday?" Tenma asked.

"That's for the student council meeting. I just received a late call yesterday after the picnic to pass the reports for the class activities." She clarified

"You're the class president?"

"Yep and I'm also the vice president of the student council."

"Aren't they putting too much pressure on you?"

"Well, I really have to go. If I don't get started on the reports, I have to stay up all night again." She suddenly skipped the question.

"O-kay, we'll see you tomorrow then?" Tenma asked, still worried for the hard-working girl.

"Yeah, you can still continue practicing if you want. Just return my ball tomorrow." She said and quickly put on again her roller blades.

"Bye!" She waved at them and went on her way. The boys continued their unfinished practice.

_I would feel disappointed at the same time sad for him. But we will promise each other that one day we will meet again and when that day comes, I'll welcome him gratefully. That means we should not let arguments with them to last long because we don't know when will they leave or go away. Every friend is important to me, especially Shinsuke._

"Thanks Tenma. At least you made me feel a little better." She thought. When she got home, she removed her roller blades and out on her boots.

"I'm home!" She announced. Her mother asked her to go to the kitchen to help her with the cooking.

"Where's dad?" She asked as she did not see him in the living room or in the dining room.

"He's sleeping." She calmly replied. Ayaka nodded and started chopping the carrots. She put it on a clean bowl and begun with the dish. She helped her mother with all the chopping and mixing. Finally, after preparing the table for lunch, they placed the hot, delicious food, the smell filling the whole place.

"Hikari dear, can you please wake up your dad up." Ayaka's mother told her. She was still cleaning up the things they used to cook the food.

"Sure mom!" Ayaka happily replied and went upstairs. She reached the door and slowly opened the door to not wake up her tired father. She opened the door first halfway to take a peek at the bed but did not find him there.

"Huh? I thought he was sleeping." She thought to herself. She suddenly heard her father's voice and sounds like he's talking to someone. She now opened the door completely and saw her father talking on the phone, facing the window.

"Yes, yes. I already told her about it but she declined. She didn't want to leave Japan again… Yes, she still has a month to decide, I told her that… I'll call you back later. Bye." These were the sentences she heard from the conversation. Her father put the phone back to his pocket and turned around, seeing Ayaka who seems to be eavesdropping to he and his friend's conversation.

"Uhh… Dad, it's time for lunch…" She said before he could say anything.

"Okay, I'll come down in a minute. How long have you been listening?" He popped out the question.

"I just got in here." She's a real fan of lying but her father knows her well.

"I know you listened to the WHOLE conversation."

"You really know me well dad." Ayaka gave up and complimented her father.

"Of course I do. Don't worry, I already told him that you declined the offer."

"Dad, it's time for lunch. Let's go down while the food is still warm." Her father nodded and went downstairs with her. They ate lunch and after that, Ayaka helped with the dishes. She took a short nap on the couch and woke up at around 6:00 pm. It's time for dinner.

"I'll go upstairs now. I need to get started on my reports." She stated and went upstairs right away after dinner.

"Ayaka dear, don't put too much pressure on yourself." Her mother said in a low voice.

"These are too many! I can't finish them on ti—Oh no! My home works are not yet done! Wait, don't we have a statistics test tomorrow? I need to submit a this article to the principal tomorrow. They're all due tomorrow?!" Ayaka, confused of what she's going to do first, cried out. Her study table was full of books, paper, papers, and papers! Her laptop has a lot of documents opened. She was doing all these for like four hours straight and she haven't even finish the half of it. Her hair was very messy and didn't have time to fix it. She took a quick peek at the clock; it was already 10:30 pm!

"I don't care if I don't get enough sleep. I need to finish all these by tonight. They're all depending on me and I can't let them down." She said to herself and continued her work. She spent the whole night completing all her work and once she's done, she instantly fell asleep on her study table. What she doesn't know was that it was already 2 am in the morning.

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><p><strong>Please Review! Your reviews are much appreciated!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6: Responsibilities

**Hey Guyss... Before everything else, i would like to apologize for the long, i mean VERY LONG wait. I've been very busy since January since i need to focus on my studies because final exams are fast approaching. Luckily, i passed all the tests and ranked 2 in our class. I even have 3 awards for this school year. Well, i'm really finished with this story a month ago, it's just, we're very full on schedule that I didn't have the time to update. **

**This explanation will be continued at the bottom.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

"Hikari, it's time for breakfast!" Ayaka's mother called for the third time and there's still no response. It's very quiet upstairs.

"Hikari!" She went upstairs to see what's going on. She knocked on her daughter's door but still, there's no response. She slowly opened the door only to find Ayaka still sleeping on her study table.

"Hikari, wake up." She gently patted Ayaka's shoulder.

"Huh? What?" Finally, Ayaka woke up. She was looking a little pale.

"Hikari, you're gonna be late for school if you don't hurry up."

"WHAT?! What time is it?" The second-year student exclaimed.

"It's almost morning practice starts at around 7:45, right?" She replied. Ayaka immediately packed her things in her school bag. Mrs. Ayaka just watched her with worry.

"If you're done preparing, come down and eat breakfast." She said and went downstairs; Ayaka went in the shower and took a short bath. After getting dressed, fixing her hair and everything, Ayaka quickly went downstairs and straight to the door.

"Hikari! Aren't you gonna eat breakfast?" Mrs. Ayaka madly said, though her eyes are filled with worry.

"I'll be late!" The girl hurriedly said.

"Then at least take this. Eat this when you get to school. " Her mother gave her a paper bag with a sandwich inside.

"Thanks mom. " She kissed her mom and dashed to school right away.

"I have to hurry! I'll be late for practice!" She exclaimed as she quickly ran to school.

**At the clubroom**

"Okay, our next match is against the team Arakumo Gauken." Haruna-sensei explained as the members of the said team appeared on the screen. "As for our training this week, we must focus on-" Before she could finish her statement, the door opened and an exhausted Ayaka entered.

"Sorry I'm late!" She bowed her head and apologized.

"It's okay. We're just discussing about our next opponent." Ayaka went to her seat next to Shindou. "As I was saying. We all must focus on leveling up our hissatsus. I will research more and give you information but for now, you train. " She again started.

"All right guys! We'll do our best in training!" Shindou encouraged. The team responded with a 'yeah' and went outside to the field. Ayaka stayed behind and changed her to her training uniform.

After changing, Ayaka then went to the field. She sighed. She was still tired from last night. Checking some reports, doing her reading advance reading and reading assignments, finalizing her projects and assignments-it all put a lot of pressure on her. _Wait, why am I thinking that? I chose to do these tasks and I should be ready to take all these responsibilities. Besides it may not be for my benefit but it's for the good of many._ And with that thought, she smiled and hurried her way to the training field.

"Ayaka! Come on, let's train!" Kirino waved at Ayaka who was already at the side of the field.

"Sure!" She waved back and ran going to Kirino, once on the field she quickly stole the ball from Tenma who didn't saw her from behind.

"Got it!" Ayaka giggled. She dribbled forward, avoiding Ichino's slide and passed it to Shindou to confuse Amagi and get past the defense. He returned it to Ayaka who used her hissatsu technique, Comet Blade.

"Fence of Gaia!" Sangoku shouted his hissatsu and stopped the shoot easily. He thought it was gonna be that strong and he wasn't even sure if he will be able to stop it but what happened? Did he became stronger or did Ayaka's shoot got weaker?

"Kurumada!" He threw the ball to Kurumada who received it smoothly and passed it to Hamano. He dribbled forward and passed it to Hayami.

"Ayaka-chan!" Someone called. Ayaka looked around and saw Aria, the student council president, waving a hand at her.

"Aria?" She raised an eyebrow as she ran to Aria.

"Aria, what are you doing here?" Ayaka asked the sky blue-haired girl.

"I just wanted to tell you that after the meeting today, we have to stay an hour longer because we need to decorate the stage." She explained. Ayaka sighed after hearing it.

"What's wrong? If you can't stay then it's fine. I could-"

"I'll stay. Besides, I have to do my responsibilities." She forced a smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure I am!" She cheerfully said.

"Then the two of us will meet at the gymnasium."

"Wait, only the two of us?"

"Yeah. The others will not stay a little longer because they have assigned tasks to do at home."

"Okay, I'll still stay. Thanks for the info!" She said. Then Aria left and Ayaka went back to the field.

"Ayaka, what did she said?" Shindou asked.

"She just informed me that I have to stay an hour after the meeting."

"Eh? Aren't you putting too much work to yourself?" He worriedly asked.

"It's no big deal! Besides, as the vice-president of the student council, I have to do my duties."

"If you keep on putting too much pressure, you might-"

"No need to worry. I'll be fine!" She patted the captain's shoulder and went to Tenma.

"Shindou, what was that all about?" Kirino approached Shindou who was looking at Ayaka with worried eyes.

"It's Ayaka; she keeps on putting work on herself." He sighed.

"I'm worried too." Kirino replied. They watched Ayaka as she happily talked to Tenma. Then she turned to her left, seeing Shindou and Kirino, and she smiled. The two smiled back.

**~~Lunch Time~~**

Ayaka put her notebook back in her bag and stood up from her seat. She waited for Shindou and Kirino who were still fixing the things on their desk. Once they finished, they nodded at each other and walked to the cafeteria.

"Ne Ayaka, can you help me out in our lesson in Biology? The teacher talks too fast and I can't understand all these genes, DNA and stuff." Kirino said, browsing his notebook.

"Sure! I can go to your house later if you want." Ayaka replied but Kirino didn't expect that answer.

"No, no. There's no need for you to come. You can just teach me later at the cafeteria. I don't want to give much work since you have to stay an hour longer after the meeting." He said. He didn't to put much trouble to her since he knows that she's a very busy girl. It was only a few weeks since she returned and she already has a lot of responsibilities.

"It's fine. I can stay at least an hour or earlier if you can understand it earlier." She stated kind of disappointed for denying her offer.

"It's okay, Ayaka. I can go later to his house later. I understand the lesson anyway." Shindou volunteered.

"Oh yeah." Kirino agreed.

"Okay." Although her tone was cheerful, her face seems sad. The two boys looked at each other and frowned. When they reached the cafeteria, they went to their lunch table and sat to eat their lunch. There was an awkward silence since it's always Ayaka starting up the conversation and she's just eating her lunch quietly. Kirino felt sorry for what he did. He suddenly tried something that might cheer her up.

"Hey, Ayaka. Remember this?" Then he held his two pigtails made a mustache. This made Shindou giggle a little. As for Ayaka, she started to hold her laughter but then they all burst into laughter.

"Remember the time I thought you were a girl and I made you wear that blue dress?" Ayaka joked. Kirino blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh yeah, then how about the time when you kept on pulling my hair because you have a spider on your back?" Kirino chuckled.

"And the look on that bully's face when Ayaka beat him up for teasing Kirino." Shindou added. The three of them kept on laughing.

"Well, I guess I got a little lonely when you denied my request." She admitted.

"It's just, you already have a lot of things to do and I don't want to add more. You should also not take too much responsibility."

"It's fine, really. I can understand that you just want to help me lessen my work." She smiled at her friend's concern.

"Then I guess I can teach you some important things about our lesson while we're having lunch. Is that okay?" Kirino nodded and took out his notebook. While eating, she taught Kirino how to translate genes and other stuff about genes. Then, right after they finished, the bell rang signaling the students to go to their next class.

"This is going to be a very busy day." Ayaka whispered to herself as she walked with Shindou and Kirino to their next class. After classes, she attended the soccer practice. When practice was over, she went to the gymnasium to start the stage decoration with Aria.

"Ayaka!" the girl turned to the direction of the voice and saw Aria.

"Aria-chan!" she waved at her friend who is running to her. Aria brought a sketchpad and a basket of art materials.

"Now, let's start with the concept." Aria started and drew her idea on her sketchpad. The drawing was good and Ayaka thinks that it would really suite the event.

"That's very nice!" Ayaka complimented and agreed to her plan. When they are about to draw the patters on the colored papers, something rang.

"Oh, excuse me for a while." Aria pulled out her phone and answered it.

"Hello, this is Aria…..What? What happened?... What hospital?... Okay, I'll be there!" She ended the call and she was shaking. Ayaka started to worry about her and she knows that this is not good.

"Ayaka-chan, I'm so sorry, my mom got in an accident and she's in the hospital. Is it okay if I leave early today? I really need to see my mom's condition." She said and tears started to develop in her eyes.

"It's okay, I'll handle it!" Ayaka replied. Aria bowed in gratitude and went her way to the hospital.

"Okay, I've got to get started!" Ayaka started to draw patterns, then cut them and paste them to each other if necessary. It took her a long time to finish it because it's a very large stage and she's the only one working. But that's not the time to be thinking about that. If she needs to extend her time, then she will because a lot depend on her and she doesn't want to let them down. After all the cutting, she started putting the cut out decorations on stage.

"Ahh… It's finally done!" She exclaimed. She sat on the ground and looked at her beautiful work. The drawing on Aria's sketchpad really matches the output Ayaka made. She started to clean up the mess and once finished, she packed her things and walked home.

"Ayaka! Why are you late?" Her mother asked the young girl when she entered the house.

"I need to stay an hour longer after practice to decorate the stage with Aria." This made her mother a little angry.

"Then why did you come home at 8 pm!" She said and pointed at the clock. Wait, school ends at 4 and practice ends at 5 then that means, she spent 3 hours decorating?!

"I'm sorry mom. Aria had an emergency and had to leave early so-"

"So you did it all by yourself again? Ayaka, you're putting too much work!"

"Mom, I'm fine. At least the stage turned out okay."

"But Ayaka, you need to give yourself a rest. Look at what happened this morning; you're almost late for practice."

"Mom, I said I'm fine. I'll just go upstairs and finish my assignments."

"Aren't you going to eat dinner?"

"I lost my appetite and this is going to be a lot of work." She quickly went upstairs in order not to be scolded again.

"Ayaka dear, please take a rest." Her mother worriedly said and went to the kitchen.

"Okay! This is the last assignment!" She exclaimed as she puts her pen down on her notebook. She lifted her hands in the air in relief and tiredness. She looked at her clock and it was already 1 am. She yawned and lazily put on her pajamas and laid herself on her nice soft bed.

"Soft." She said as she positions herself to make herself comfortable but before she falls asleep, she suddenly felt a sharp pain on her head. She began to sweat a lot and felt warm.

"What's wrong with me? Maybe if I sleep it out, the pain will go away." She tries to close her eyes and sleep despite the headache she's having and she eventually falls asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, the chapter's done. Now for the continuation of my explanation. The reason why i finish this story early, it's because, we have a project wherein we have to create a story. The first thing that came to my mind is this story because: first, i already have the plot; second, there are already five chapters and only six to go before i finish it unlike my other stories; and third, why not? I love Inazuma eleven so why don't i show them that. I've also added a little science fiction because I want to give credit to Fei Lune! You'll see in the later chapters. <strong>

**I hope you enjoyed it and please review!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Unexpected Fever

The piercing sound of the alarm clock woke up Ayaka. She tried to get up from bed but her whole body has a mind of its own and won't let her do so. Her head is still aching and she felt like she has a fever. She reached for her drawer next to her bed and groped for the thermometer. She measured her temperature and found out that her temperature is 37.9 degrees Celsius.

"A slight fever? I can't have one now!" She said and forced herself out of bed and to the shower. The water was so cold for her so she made her bath really quick and got prepared for school.

"Hikari dear, it's time for breakfast!" Her mother called. The girl grabbed her things and went downstairs.

"Good morning mom!" She greeted her mom who was setting up the table. She looked at her Dad's seat; he wasn't there.

"Oh, your dad left early today." Her mom explained and sat down on her chair.

"Now that you mentioned it. I didn't saw him last night."

"It's because he came home late last night." The woman noticed something strange from her daughter.

"You look pale. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Maybe I just put on too much face powder." She said and laughed a little.

"There's something wrong. Are you hiding something from me?"

"Nothing." was all she could say. She started eating and when finished, she dashed to the door.

"Aren't you going to wait up for Shindou and Kirino?"

"I'll go early today. I want to check on something about the stage to make the final decorations." She kissed her mom on the cheek and quickly ran to school, not letting her mom know about her fever.

After a while, Mrs. Ayaka heard someone knock on the door. When she opened it, she saw Shindou and Kirino waiting outside. "Oh, I'm sorry but Hikari went early to school today." She informed and the two frowned. When they are about to leave, she called them.

"Please keep an eye on Hikari, she's acting strange this morning." She asked a favor and the two nodded.

When Ayaka arrived to school, she passed by the soccer field. Her vision started to get blurry but she shook it off and hurried her way to the principal's office to pass some student reports to him. While on the way, she saw Tenma, Shinsuke and Kariya. They also, noticed Ayaka being pale and less cheerful than before.

"Pale? It's nothing! Don't worry about it." She replied when they asked her about it.

"Are you sure? You don't okay." Kariya stated but Ayaka made an excuse to get out of it.

"Oh, look at the time! I need to go to the principal's office."

"But the principal's not here yet. He probably has a meeting to attend to. "

"T-Then, I'll go to the gymnasium to prepare for the activity later. Thanks for informing me! Bye!" She waved a hand at them and quickly ran to the gym, leaving the three behind without letting them follow her.

She reached the gymnasium and saw Aria observing the decorations. "Aria," she called "Good morning".

"Good Morning! Wow! The stage looks more amazing than how I pictured it."

"Oh, how's your mother? Will she be alright?"

"She's fine now. She just had some minor injuries."

"I hope she'll get well soon."

"Thanks."

Soon later, morning practice started. Ayaka tried to keep her cheerfulness since Tenma, Shinsuke and Kariya almost found out that she has a fever. She noticed that hissatsus are weaker and her moves are getting sloppy. She was sweating really hard and had to take a break every five minutes to drink some water. She asked Coach Kidou if he could let her leave the practice early and used the excuse of meeting with Aria in order not to let everyone notice.

"Okay class; let's continue about our lesson about DNA." Michiko-sensei wrote on the chalkboard the things she discussed yesterday. This time, when Ayaka looked at Kirino, he was paying attention to the teacher and taking down notes.

"Hmm… I wonder what Shindou and Kirino did yesterday that made Kirino pay attention well." She wondered.

"Ayaka…" Shindou, seated next to Ayaka whispered. The girl turned to him and Shindou gave smiled. Ayaka also smiled and gave thumbs up then returned to listening. However, she felt a sharp pain in her head and felt like she was going to faint but gladly, she didn't. But still, the headache didn't fade and Ayaka massaged her temples. Shindou noticed her and became more worried.

**~~Lunch Time~~**

Ayaka, along with Shindou and Kirino, went to the cafeteria to eat. Once seated, they opened their lunch boxes and started to dig in. While the two boys were eating, Ayaka seems to have lost her appetite which made the two concerned.

"Ayaka, why are you not eating? Don't you like you lunch?" Shindou asked and the girl responded with a sigh.

"I can share my lunch with you if you like." Kirino suggested and slightly pushed his lunchbox next to her. Again, she sighed and packed her lunch.

"I'm sorry guys, I have to go." She stood up, avoiding eye contact from the two and walked out of the cafeteria.

"There's really something strange about her." Shindou told Kirino and they remembered what Ayaka's mother has told them.

"Maybe we should follow her, we kept a promise from her mother. She's very pale and I think she's not feeling well." The concerned Kirino replied.

"Come on!" They quickly packed their lunch and stood up to go out the cafeteria but when they got out, she was nowhere to be found. They agreed to separate to find her faster. Shindou took the left and Kirino took the right.

As Ayaka walked down the hallway going to the principal's office, she met up with Tenma, Shinsuke and Kariya and this time with Aoi.

"Hello Ayaka-senpai, good afternoon!" Tenma greeted and smiled.

"Good Afternoon Tenma, Aoi, Shinsuke and Kariya!" She smiled at them. Suddenly, the headache came back and this time, it was very painful for her. She closed her eyes and massaged her temples.

"Ayaka-senpai, we know you're not okay. You've been acting weird since this morning." Aoi stated. As a manager, she has to look after the team and know their conditions and she's doing a great job.

"I'm fine." She walked past them but her body can't take much more and she collapsed. Her things were scattered on the floor.

"Ayaka-senpai!" They all gasped at what happened. They all helped in bringing her to the nurse's office while Shinsuke carried her things.

Shindou and Kirino quickly went to the nurse's office as soon as they heard what happened.

"What happened?" Kirino asked the nurse.

"She collapsed because of a high fever. If she didn't force herself to go to school today and rested, her fever couldn't have gotten worse. " The nurse replied. Ayaka was lying on the bed, resting.

"I knew it!" Shindou said as if he already knew what was going to happen. He took out his phone and contacted Mrs. Ayaka. After a few minutes, she arrived and the two boys carried her inside the car.

"Thank you." Mrs. Ayaka slightly smiled and closed the car door. Shindou and Kirino watched as the car disappeared in the road.


	8. Chapter 8: Ayaka's Recovery

Ayaka opened her eyes only to find herself in her room. _"Wasn't I at school?"_ she thought. The she heard the door opened and saw her mother come in holding a tray of food.

"Hikari, you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"I feel….bad." She can't really explain everything she's feeling.

"Well, you should eat first. You haven't have enough meals for the past few days." She helped her daughter to sit up then gave the gray containing a bowl of warm soup with a spoon and a glass of water.

"What I about school? I still need to-"

"Stop worrying about school. You've put too much pressure on yourself and look at what happened. You deserve a rest."

"But-" She didn't continue her statement for she her mother's worried eyes. "You should rest until you're all better." Her mother then caressed her hair.

"Yes mom. Thanks." She began eating her food but after a few spoons of the soup, she shook her head, saying that she didn't want to eat anymore.

"You didn't even finish half of the soup." Ayaka shook again her head and pushed away the tray.

"Alright. Now here's your medicine." While Ayaka drinks the medicine, Mrs. Ayaka got a bowl of cold water and a towel. She wet the towel, squeezed it and placed it on her daughter's head once she laid down.

"Let me take your temperature." The woman opened her child's drawer and took out a thermometer. She put it on Ayaka's mouth and after a few minutes, she took it out.

"It's 38.2. Your fever is quite high. You should skip school tomorrow." Her mother's statement shocked Ayaka since when she measured it this morning it was 37.9. She decided not to tell her about it in order not to make her more worried and looked down and her mother noticed it.

"You already know that you have a fever this morning, don't you?" She is a good mother since she was able to determine that through her child's body language. "If you already know that you already have a fever, why did you still go to school?" Ayaka avoided her mom's question by avoiding eye contact.

"You should rest now if you want to go to school on the day after tomorrow."

"Yes mom." Ayaka sighed. She did deserve a rest. She already had a lot to do on the first week she came back to Raimon. She tucked herself in her blanket and turned to the side, facing the window to sleep. Her mother grabbed the tray and went out of the room, closing the door gently.

After afternoon practice, Shindou and Kirino decided to visit Ayaka. They went by the flower shop to buy some fresh flowers for her. When they reached her house, they knocked on the door. Mrs. Ayaka welcomed them in and checked if Ayaka's awake.

"Ayaka, are you awake?" The woman gently opened the door and peeked.

"Mom?" Ayaka muttered. She's still lying down on her bed and her head slowly turned to face her.

"You have some visitors. Should I let them in?"

"Sure. Who are they?" Ayaka slowly sit up on her bed.

"They are Shindou and Kirino. Wait a second while I call them."

The two boys entered the room and saw their best friend smiling at them. "Hey Ayaka. How are you feeling?" Shindou asked.

"I'm feeling a little better." She replied.

"We bought some flowers for you." Kirino presented the flowers.

"Aww… Thanks. You can place them there." She pointed to a vase near the window and Kirino placed them there, with the sun giving its light to the beautiful yellow flowers. They stayed for a while to talk about what happened in school and soccer practice. When the two tried to ask her about what happened this morning, she would just say to not talk about it. She just told them that she won't be going to school tomorrow and to takes notes of the new lessons to help her keep up.

"Bye Ayaka. We'll visit you again tomorrow!" Kirino waved at her from the window and Ayaka waved back.

The next day, Ayaka rested and when she had gotten enough rest, she ate her food and this time her energy is starting to return. In the afternoon, the boys visited her again.

"Well, well, you're all better!" Her mother exclaimed when she took her temperature at night and it is back to normal.

"That means I can go to school tomorrow?"

"Yes. But remember, no more pressure." Ayaka smiled and nodded.

Morning came and Ayaka woke up early. She fixed herself and her things and went downstairs to eat breakfast. "Good morning, Mom~!" She said in a cheerful tone. Mrs. Ayaka smiled and is very happy that she's back to normal. She ate breakfast with her mother and after that, she kissed her mom on the cheek.

"Bye mom!"

"Bye!"

She skipped to school cheerfully. The sky was so clear, the sun is shining brightly and the cherry blossom trees were dancing to the wind's blow. "It's such a beautiful day!" She placed her hands behind her head as she feels the wind's soft blow. Along the way, she met up with Shindou and Kirino who were happy to see her. They walked to school talking and laughing. When they reached the school a lot of students were greeting the trio especially Ayaka, who they didn't saw yesterday.

"Ayaka, the principal wants to talk to you in his office. It's about what happened to you the other day." One of trio's classmates said to Ayaka when they walked past her. Ayaka nodded and went directly to his office. She told her best friends to go to the clubroom without her. But they secretly followed her.

"Sensei, may I come in?" Ayaka politely knocked on the door. The principal responded with a yes and the girl went in. Meanwhile, when the coast is clear, Shindou and Kirino stood by the door to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"I heard about what happened to you the other day…" He began.

"I am feeling fine now, sensei." She stated.

"It's just you have a lot responsibilities and tasks-the vice president of the student council, the president of your class and a member of the soccer club. You get too much pressure from these."

"What are you trying to say, sensei." She asked. The two eavesdroppers had all ears on the conversation.

"I don't want this to happen to you again. You are a treasure of Raimon and you have to have time for your health. I want to you let go of one of your responsibilities." Her eyes widened at what he said. Let go? Which of them will she let go?

"I guess I can give my position as class president to-"

"No, being a class president is fine because there's nothing much to do. I meant either you give your position as student council vice-president to someone else or quit the soccer club." The two boys gasped but covered each other's mouth to avoid being found out but luckily they weren't. This was a hard decision to make for Ayaka. She looked at the principal's eyes with disbelief then looked down.

"I know it's hard so I will give you until the end of the week to decide on that. Meet me when you have made your decision. You are dismissed." He said. This was the signal for the two boys to leave quickly so they ran as fast as they could away from the office and hide. Ayaka stood up and bowed her head as a sign of thanks and left the room. She went her way to her locker to deposit her things then went to the soccer club.

* * *

><p>"We have to do something! We can't let Ayaka quit the soccer club." Kirino yelled and his voice echoed along the hallways.<p>

"Keep your voice down. Besides she can still quit as the student council vice president." Shindou shushed.

"I know! But she would more likely choose to quit the soccer club since she is more needed in the student council. We have to make her let go of being the vice president."

"But we can't just force her. She _has_ to make the decision." He stopped in his steps and so did Kirino. The team captain put his hand on his chin to think.

"Unless…"

"Unless what?" Kirino asked, eager to know what he's thinking.

"I have a plan." He said and whispered something to Kirino.

Ayaka walked inside the clubroom and didn't saw Shindou or Kirino inside. She only saw Tenma who greeted her with a smile. "Good Morning Ayaka-senpai! How are you?"

"I'm fine now, Tenma. By the way, thanks for taking to the nurse's office the other day."

"No problem. I'm glad you're all better now."

"Thanks!" She flashed a grin. The door opened and Shindou and Kirino entered.

"Where have you been?" Ayaka raised an eyebrow.

"We just went to the library." Kirino lied.

"Oh, by the way. We met up with some first years asking us a favor. They want to have your autograph." Shindou said and held out a folded paper.

"My autograph?" Ayaka replied. Shock was seen on Tenma's face.

"Is she really that popular that people want her autograph?" He asked.

"I don't really consider myself popular. I'm just as normal as the others." She chuckled. She reached for her pocket to get her blue pen.

"I guess I left my pen in my locker." She stated. "Here." Shindou held out his hand containing a black pen.

"But I usually sign using a blue pen."

"It's okay."

"Alright." She took the pen and about to open the paper to sign.

"You don't need to read the paper. Just sign at the bottom. Actually, that first year wants to give it to a friend of her as a gift. She told me not to let you open it because it's kind of private." Shindou interrupted.

"Sure." She signed the bottom without reading the letter and gave it back to Shindou. He nodded to Kirino.

"We'll just give this back to the first year. We'll see you later." Kirino told Ayaka.

"Sure, be back for morning practice." Then the boys exited the room, leaving Ayaka and Tenma.

"Wow, Ayaka-senpai! You're so cool!" Tenma exclaimed.

"Uhh… Thanks." She said.

Meanwhile, Shindou and Kirino were at the principal's office. "This is from Ayaka?" The principal said, holding a piece of folded paper and read it.

"Yes sensei. She asked us to give that to you. She signed it at the bottom." Shindou replied. There was a moment of silence until it the principal finished reading the letter.

"Okay. I understand her resignation as student council vice-president." He said and disappointment was seen in his eyes. "Thank you. You may leave." The two stood up from their seat and bowed their heads as a sign of respect and left. Their little plot seem to have worked.


	9. Chapter 9: The end of Friendship?

Ayaka walked to school together with Shindou and Kirino. "I'm so excited today!" She exclaimed.

"Excited for what?" Kirino asked the energetic girl.

"Later, we'll have our planning for our Halloween school events in the student council." She said. "I already have a great suggestion for it but I can't tell you." When the two boys heard it, they looked at each other with sad eyes.

"Hey, what's the matter between you two? Did you guys have a fight or something?" She looked at both of them with a worried look on her face.

"N-No. We're just fine." Shindou nervously said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yep, we're perfectly fine." Kirino said.

"Okay~! I believe you." In their arrival at school a few students are staring at them, especially at Ayaka.

"What's wrong? Is my ribbon not worn properly?" She looked at the blue ribbon in her uniform to see if it is tied properly because this morning she was rushing to school in excitement that she didn't even know if she had worn it properly.

"No, you're ribbon is just fine." Aria, who approached her, said. "I guess they still can't believe you gave up your position in the student council." She said looking down.

"What do you mean? I didn't do that." Ayaka raised an eyebrow. Was that a joke or what?

"Yesterday, the principal received a letter stating that you chose to give up your position." Then Ayaka knew she wasn't joking.

"There must have been a mistake. Maybe someone wants to blackmail me."

"There's no mistake. You have your signature at the bottom, see." She took out from her bag the letter and showed her. At the bottom was her signature in black ink.

"That's a fake! You know I don't usually sign using black pen!" She said. Suddenly, she remembered something that happened yesterday-when she signed a paper using a black pen that Shindou said was a first year wanting her autograph.

"Unless..." _It must have been them! No doubt about it! _She thought

"Will you excuse me for a minute?" She said to Aria and glared at Shindou and Kirino, who were nervously shaking.

"Sure." She replied. Then Ayaka pulled the two boys to a private spot. Her grip on their arms was obviously telling them she's really angry.

"Be honest with me. Was the letter I signed yesterday really for that first year or was it a resignation letter?" She angrily asked.

"Uhm…. Uh….. " The two were tongue-tied for words.

"Tell me!" She shouted.

"Y-Yes…. It's just we don't want you to leave the soccer club." Shindou said in defeat.

"Leave the soccer club?! What do you mean? Wait- You knew about that?!"

"Yes."

"You two were eavesdropping on my conversation with the principal?!" The two nodded at her question which made her super angry.

"Why did you do that?" She asked.

"When the principal said that you need to let go of one of you responsibilities then we thought that you would mostly like to choose to stay in the student council rather than the soccer club." Kirino calmly explained.

"It was a hard decision to make! You don't know how hard it is to let go of one of the things you love!" She said and tears are starting to develop in her eyes.

"We know but-"

"That's not a reason for you to make me leave the student council. I should be the one to make the decision and not you! But how can I decide between them when you ruined that choice?! " She cried.

"I even denied a scholarship to California because I want to stay here and play soccer with you." She admitted. The boys were in shock to see their best friend crying and knowing about the scholarship.

"Ayaka, we…."

"You know what? There's still a 2 weeks for me to decide on that scholarship and I think I should accept it." She said. "I'm better off there than being controlled by _my_ best friends on my decisions." She ran off, leaving the two behind with disbelief.

"What have we done?" Shindou cried and so did Kirino. Meanwhile, they didn't know that they are being watched by someone. That boy has light green hair and bright light blue-green eyes. He is wearing an orange jacket with some grey stripes on it near the neck and under the elbow to armpit, dark blue pants with some white lines on it and black shoes and with some sort of a communication device on his left ear.

"This is not good." The mysterious boy murmured and said something else on his communication device. With a buttons pressed on what seems like a watch in his wrist, he disappeared.

Ayaka ignored the stares of the students around her and went to her locker. She was still crying and reached out for her handkerchief in her pocket. She took the things training uniform and changed then went to the soccer field. She wiped her tears before approaching the field.

"Let's start practice!" Tenma cheered. Ayaka saw Shindou and Kirino arriving at the field and she avoided eye contact from them. During the whole practice, she ignored Shindou's commands and avoided passing the ball to Shindou or Kirino.

During the day, she still avoids them in class, lunch break and even afternoon practice. At the front gates, she stood for a moment at the school before walking home, alone. "There's no meeting today, so I guess I'll go home early." She said to herself.

"Ayaka, wait!" She turned her head around and saw Shindou and Kirino running to her.

"What do you want?"

"Please don't go to California. We're sorry." Shindou said in repentance.

"I can't even ask the principal to bring me back to the student council. You can't make me change my decision. Don't even think about ruining this again." She said. She turned around and walked home without a word.

On her way home, missed the times when she always walk home with them and when they would defend her from strangers trying to flirt with her or were just looking for trouble. She sighed at this memory but shook it off after remembering what they did to her.

"Look what we have here, if it isn't the girl who gave me a black eye." She stopped in her tracks and looked behind her. She widened her eyes to see Takeshi, the one who bullied her when she was young.

"You haven't changed. You're still the rotten bully who gets beaten up by a girl, right? What do you want now?" She asked in an annoying tone.

"Revenge." He snapped his fingers and with just a split second, she was surrounded by a bunch of Takeshi's 'minions'.

"I beat you up before and I can do it again!" She threatened but Takeshi responded with a laugh.

"Are you kidding me? You're not even with your two friends who defended you the last time and you don't even have a soccer ball!" She clenched her fists in fear. She's outnumbered. Takeshi prepared his knuckles for a punch and pushed Ayaka who fell to the ground. When he's about to punch Ayaka, a flying ball hit him on the face and fell to the ground.

"Leave her alone!" The boy who kicked the ball said. The boy was revealed to be the green haired boy who was spying on Shindou, Kirino and Ayaka this morning. Ayaka never saw him before since he's just watching them without her knowing it. The boy retrieved the ball and kicked it to the other bullies. They all stood up but became scared and ran away.

"You have won this game, but the next time we meet, you'll be sorry!" Takeshi cursed and ran away with the others.

"Are you okay?" The boy held out a hand and helped Ayaka stand up.

"Yeah. Thanks." She replied and smiled.

"You shouldn't be walking alone, you know."

"I know.

"Well, I'm off! Be careful next time okay?"

"Okay. Thanks again!" Then the boy walked away in another direction while Ayaka took the shortest way home.

"I'm home!" She said.

"Welcome back, Hikari." Her mother said. "Dinner's ready." Ayaka left her bag in the living room and went to the dining table and was surprised to see her dad.

"Dad!" She hugged him. The food was already served on the table and they started to eat.

"Dad, I have some good news for you." She said.

"What is it?"

"I decided to accept the scholarship to California!" She said.

"But how about Raimon?"

"It's a once in a lifetime experience and I can still contact my friends while I'm away." She said but she has no plan of contacting Shindou and Kirino while she's in California.

"Well that's good news! I'll contact my friend right after dinner." He said and Ayaka flashed a fake smile. _Now it's decided. I'm going to California._ She thought.


	10. Chapter 10: Advice from a new Friend

Ayaka was in her room, studying some lessons. She has been ignoring her best friends since that incident and it's been a week. Only one week left before she finally leaves Japan and go to California. She sighed at this thought and continued to read her notes. There was silence in the room until it was broken by a ringing tone. Ayaka reached for her phone to see who's calling her. Shindou's name was on the screen. She ignored the phone call and returned to studying. Another phone call was denied by Ayaka when she saw Kirino's name on the screen.

"Why don't they just leave me alone?" She said and lay down on her bed. She stared at the ceiling for a while then turned to the side. On the table near her bed was a picture of her, Shindou and Kirino while they were still first years.

_I miss my best friends. I haven't talked to them for a week. But still, they shouldn't have made that decision for me. _She thought and buried her face in her pillow.

"If I were you. I would forgive them." An unknown voice said. The girl raised her head from her pillow and looked around the room.

"Who's there?" She went out of her bed and asked.

"It's alright. I won't hurt you." Then right behind her, the voice said which made the girl jump. She then saw the green haired boy who saved her from Takeshi a few days ago.

"W-Who are you and how did you get here?" She stepped back in fear. How did that boy suddenly appear in her room? How did he manage to find her house?

"You don't remember? I saved you from that bully a few days ago." The boy innocently raised an eyebrow.

"I know it's you but how did you get here?" She asked. The boy took a step forward.

"I know it sounds silly but I'm a time traveller. I came 200 years from the future." The boy said but instead of hearing a laugh from the girl, she looked at him with amazed eyes. She loves science-fiction so it won't be hard to believe him.

"You're really a time traveller? How can you prove it to me?" She asked just to make sure.

"Yes, look at this." He showed his wrist watch and pressed some buttons. He asked her to take his hand and the girl did what she's told.

"Are you ready to time travel?" The boy asked. The girl replied with a nod.

In a second, they are teleported into the dinosaur era. There were Brachiosaurus eating leaves from high trees, Pterodactyl flying in the sky and Parasaurolophus interacting with one another.

"Wow! You really are a time traveller!" She exclaimed.

"Now do you believe me?" The boy asked.

"Yes!" She replied. Then the boy pushed again some buttons and they were teleported back to her room.

"But what are you doing here?" She asked.

"I'm here to fix your friendship with your best friends." He said.

"Wait, how did you know about my problem?"

"I was not really spying on you but I was watching over you for a reason." He replied.

"What is that reason?"

"I promised my dad to help others because he said that my mom would want me to do it." He said and had a small frown in his face.

"What happened to your mother?" She worriedly asked.

"She died after giving birth to me." He closed his eyes in pain.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She placed her hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright."

"But why did you choose me?"

"Because I have experienced what you are experiencing now." He said. Ayaka invited him to sit on the bed. "My friends made the decision for me with letting me know about it." He began.

"What did you do?"

"At first, I was very mad. I didn't talk to them for a month and didn't accept their apologies. But then I realized that even if they made that decision, I know that they have done that because they care about me. They won't lead me into any danger and they are always there for me. But….." He stopped and cried.

"When I was about to talk to them, I heard the news that they got in a car accident while going to school and they… died." He cried. He tries to wipe his tears off but it he can't stop crying.

"I'm so sorry you have to go through that memory again." She said and tears also filled her eyes.

"But it's never too late for you. I'm here to help you make up with your friends because I don't want that incident to happen again." He wiped his tears off and now, he stopped crying.

"But I-"

"Listen Ayaka, if you don't forgive them, you'll be alone. You will lose your friendship with them. I don't you to experience regret like I did." He said.

"I understand your feelings but this is my decision. I don't want anyone controlling how I decide. I hope you understand me too." She turned her head to the left, facing the picture frame on the table of her best friends.

"I know. I'm just here to give you some advice. Maybe it can help you change your mind."

"I'll think about it."

"I should be going. My dad must be waiting for me back in the future." He stood up.

"By the way, thanks again, for saving me back then and giving me some advice. I know that your friends will never forget you even if you're separated." She said.

"You're welcome. I hope you can change your mind in that scholarship."

"Maybe…" With that, the boy pushed some buttons on his watch. A purple light was surrounding him and he is slowly fading, meaning that he is time travelling back to the future.

"Wait, I didn't get to know your name!" Ayaka forgot to ask his name after all that. The boy, slowly fading, smiled at her.

"Just call me Fei, Fei Lune." He said and disappeared, now back to his timeline. Ayaka's eyes were gazed at where she last saw the boy, filled with joy.

"Thank you, Fei."

* * *

><p><strong>So the green haired boy IS Fei! I wanted to include Fei in this story because i am really a BIG fan of him and it would be unfair if i don't include him here. So there!<strong>

**Please Review! :)**


	11. Chapter 11: Goodbye?

This is Ayaka's last week in Raimon. She hasn't thought about Fei's advice yesterday. She was so distracted with things like interviews with the principal of Chevalier School's assistant, Taekwondo training, fixing some paper work for her Scholarship and packing her things. She went to school quietly, a thing she's not comfortable with since she always loves to talk about many things but without Shindou or Kirino with her, she's alone. She calmly went to the clubroom, sighing every time she sees the student council members' disappointed faces.

"Ayaka-senpai! Is it true?" Tenma asked her who just arrived at the clubroom, with the whole team staring at her.

"What?" She raised an eyebrow. What is he talking about and why was she being stared at? She thought that maybe Shindou and Kirino told them about the scholarship.

"You had a fight with Captain and Kirino-senpai and you haven't made up for almost a week?" He asked. She looked to the corner and saw Shindou and Kirino. The two looked away.

"Uhm…." She can't just admit that in front of the whole team. She was thinking that if she honestly answer the brunette's question, she'll get follow up questions like 'Why did you fight?' or 'Why haven't you made up yet?' which may lead them into knowing that she's leaving this Saturday.

"Paging Ayaka Hikari, please proceed to the principal's office!" An announcement was made through the speaker which was heard throughout the whole school.

"Well guys, I have to go. I'll just see you at practice!" She said and went out of the clubroom. She was glad that she was saved by the bell.

"Ayaka-senpai…." Tenma sighed. He tried to talk to Shindou and Kirino but they didn't want to talk about it, afraid that they might reveal something that will make Ayaka even angrier at them.

"This is a really serious problem." Hamano said to which Hayami nodded in agreement.

"Please Shindou-senpai!" Tenma begged.

"Okay, we'll tell you. But please keep this a secret from Ayaka." Shindou said. He and Kirino told them what happened which surprised the team.

"But why would you do that?" Aoi asked.

"We can't let her put too much pressure on herself again." Kirino said.

"You have to apologize to her." Kariya recommended.

"We tried but she didn't accept it. Plus, even if she does accept it, it'll be too late." The pink-haired boy replied.

"Why?"

"She's leaving this Saturday, she'll be off to California." Shindou answered.

"WHAT?!" The whole team gasped.

* * *

><p>"Sensei, may I come in?" The girl knocked on the door.<p>

"You may." The girl came in and sat on the chair.

"I have heard from your father that you'll be leaving again, to California." He said while reading a piece of paper. "I guess that's your reason for leaving the student council."

"No, sensei. I kept on telling you I didn't made that letter. It was Shindou and Kirino and they made me sign it."

"Please don't joke with me. I understand what you're going through these days. You'll be leaving soon and you have lot of interviews so you quit."

"Please listen to me." She begged but the bell rang signaling for morning practice.

"You are dismissed. You have to attend morning practice, right?" He said, ignoring Ayaka's pleading.

"But-"

"You are dismissed." He raised his voice. Ayaka can't do anything about it so she left the room and went to soccer practice.

She decided to skip the last three days of school. She used the excuse of packing her things and preparing for her flight. Shindou and Kirino's attempt to apologize was ruined because of her absence. That was too bad because the team made up a plan. When they tried to visit her in her house, Ayaka asks her mother to tell them that she's not home.

"This is a total failure!" Shindou cried.

"None of our plans are working!" Kirino said.

"We're so sorry, Captain." Tenma said.

"No, it's not your fault. At least we've tried."

"We have one last chance." Shindou said with his hopes up.

"One last chance?" Tenma asked not quite sure of what Shindou meant.

"At the airport, when Ayaka will leave. We have to convince her to stay." He suggested.

"Alright! Let's help Shindou-senpai and Kirino-senpai!" Tenma raised his fist in the air as a sign of encouragement.

"Yeah!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Things will work our somehow, right Captain?" Tenma said to Shindou who responded with a nod.

* * *

><p>This is it, today is Ayaka's flight to California. She got out of the car and her dad help her up with her things. She is wearing again her gray, knee level dress with a black belt on her waist, black boots and a black beret, the clothes she wore when she arrived from France. She sighed at the sight of the airport and her dad accompanied her inside.<p>

"I'm so proud of you, Hikari." He said. He is going with her to California.

"I know." She replied. They both went inside and presented their passports and tickets. While waiting for their flight. She heard some familiar voices.

"Ayaka!" She stood up and looked behind and saw Shindou and Kirino. She asked her dad to watch her things for a while and went to them.

"What do you want? You're too late to convince me to stay." She

"Ayaka, please listen to us." Shindou pleaded.

"You've got five minutes." She said and took a look at her watch.

"We're sorry for not letting you know that the letter you signed was a resignation letter for the student council. It's our fault." Shindou said. "We're your friends, best friends since we were five; we focused too much in helping you lessen your responsibilities that we didn't consider your opinion."

"We care about you and we don't want to see you carrying heavy burden. It hurts us to see you not feeling well because of lack of sleep and too much work. We were really worried sick about you when you fainted. " Kirino added. "We didn't know what we're thinking back then and we are really regretting what we've done."

"You really inspired us. Even if you have a lot of obligations, you still have time for soccer and your friends." Shindou said.

"We don't want you to leave the soccer club because, when you returned, we remembered how you met soccer and we thought that if you leave, you have forgotten about soccer, about us." Kirino cried. Ayaka didn't know what to say. She started to tear up.

"Guys, I-I don't know what to say." She placed her hands on her face and started crying.

"I was so angry at you that I let my anger get the best of me. I'm sorry too." She cried out.

"Please forgive us." The two boys said.

"_Listen Ayaka, if you don't forgive them, you'll be alone. You will lose your friendship with them. I don't you to experience regret like I did."_ Ayaka remembered Fei's advice to her. She realized that he's right.

"...I forgive you." She said and hugged the two tightly.

"But what about the scholarship?" Kirino wiped his tears and asked.

"I don't know. Everything's arranged now." She said. "But I'll try to ask my dad." She ran to her father. "Dad, I-"

"Let me guess, you just realized that your friends are more important than the scholarship and you wanted to stay." He said and surprised Ayaka.

"How did you know?"

"I know my daughter very well." He said.

"So can I?" She asked.

"Yes. I'll just let them know when I get there. Now get back to your friends and I'll take care of everything." Ayaka cheered and kissed his dad on the cheek. "Thank You." She said, grabbed her things and ran to Shindou and Kirino.

"Let's go!" She exclaimed and they went back to Ayaka's house but what Ayaka didn't know was they had a surprise prepared for her.

* * *

><p>"Guys, why do I have to wear this blindfold?" She asked.<p>

"It's a surprise." Shindou replied. When they reached her house and opened it. Shindou allowed Ayaka to remove her blindfold. Her eyes widened to see her house decorated with balloons and confetti and the whole team.

"Ayaka-senpai, we're so happy that you've made up with Captain and Kirino-senpai." He exclaimed.

"You made all this? And you also included my mom?" She asked Shindou when she saw her mom in the kitchen waving at her.

"It's the least we can do for you." Shindou and Kirino said in unison.

"Aww…. I think it's sweet!" She said and the two blushed.

"Let's party!" Hamano shouted and turned on the tunes. Everyone started dancing and some of them have both left feet that they're dancing like penguins. Ayaka glanced at them for a moment then went outside for a while to get some fresh air. She felt the cold breeze of the wind when someone inturrepted.

"So, you did consider my advice." She turned around and saw Fei.

"Fei! You're back!" She exclaimed.

"I'm just here to check on you and it seems that you got your friends back."

"It's because you helped me realized that my friendship with them will never end." She smiled. "Thank You." She leaned on to Fei and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Fei touched his cheek and blushed.

"You're welcome." He said.

"Ayaka! Come on in! Take a look at Tenma's crazy dance!" Kirino disturbed the girl who turned to the door.

"Really? I want to see! Just give me a moment." When she turned back to Fei, he's gone. She figured that he has returned to the future. She gazed at the stars hoping Fei is also looking at them.

"Thank you, Fei for everything." She said at the stars and went inside to watch Tenma's dance.

* * *

><p><strong>I was planning of making a sequel for this but, i need to update at least 1 chapter of my other stories, The Dark Path and Adventures in Gardenia. I am going to brainstorm for the new chapter summaries of Adventures in Gardenia, because my annoying sister ruined my notebook. The Dark Path may be updated first because the plot summaries are in my other notebook. I hope you like the whole story. <strong>

**I would like to thank everybody who have followed this story till the end, especially Lordranged7, Thank you so much!**


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